Where does “swam” come from?

swam (Middle High German) comes from Old High German swamp, from Old English swamm, from Proto-Germanic *swammaz, from Proto-Indo-European swombh- — sponge, tree-fungus, swamp.

Ancestry of “swam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanswamp—
2Old Englishswammmushroom, fungus; sponge; first/third-person...
3Proto-Germanic*swammaz—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswombh-sponge, tree-fungus, swamp
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swombh- →Every word from Proto-Germanic *swammaz →Every word from Old English swamm →